Hares are wild mammals found across diverse landscapes, from open grasslands to arctic tundras. Known for their long ears and powerful hind legs, understanding their dietary habits is key to appreciating their ecological niche and survival.
The Truth About Hare Diet
Hares are herbivores, meaning their diet consists exclusively of plant matter. This distinguishes them from carnivores and omnivores. Their digestive system and foraging behaviors are adapted to process fibrous vegetation, allowing them to extract nutrients efficiently.
Unlike ruminant animals, hares do not possess multiple stomach chambers to break down tough plant material. Instead, they rely on a specialized digestive process to thrive on a diet rich in cellulose.
A Hare’s Typical Menu
A hare’s diet primarily consists of various plant materials, with grasses forming a significant portion. They also consume herbs, clover, and wildflowers when available. In warmer months, they forage on fresh green vegetation.
During winter or in colder environments where fresh plants are scarce, hares adapt by feeding on woody parts of plants. This includes bark, twigs, buds, mosses, and lichens. They can consume over 70 different plant species, complementing their diet with fruits like wild plum, pear, and apple when seasonally available.
Essential Digestive Adaptations
Hares possess physiological adaptations to efficiently digest their high-fiber, plant-based diet. A primary adaptation is hindgut fermentation, where plant material is broken down in the cecum, a specialized part of their large intestine. This process involves symbiotic bacteria that ferment cellulose and produce essential nutrients, including B vitamins.
To maximize nutrient absorption, hares engage in coprophagy, or reingestion of cecotropes. These soft, moist pellets, often called “night feces,” are produced after the initial passage of food. They contain partially digested nutrients, proteins, and vitamins not absorbed the first time. By re-eating these cecotropes, hares give their food a second pass through the digestive system, ensuring maximum nutritional value.
Addressing Common Misconceptions
Despite their classification as herbivores, some might mistakenly believe hares are omnivores due to rare observations. Arctic hares have occasionally been documented scavenging on animal carcasses, including fish, birds, or other mammals, particularly during harsh winter months when plant-based food is scarce. This behavior may provide supplementary protein and nutrients.
However, consuming animal matter is not part of their regular diet and does not reflect their fundamental digestive physiology. Hares are not equipped to hunt or regularly process meat. Their digestive system is designed for plant material, and these rare scavenging events are considered opportunistic behaviors for survival rather than characteristic of an omnivorous diet. Hares remain definitively herbivorous.